Reviews tagging 'Medical content'

Îndoiala by Ashley Audrain

36 reviews

cranewife's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Suicide, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, and Abandonment

analenegrace's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This book is a withering look at motherhood and the dehumanization and often desexualization of women after they give birth through the lens of a thriller. While I don't usually like thrillers, this book captured my attention in a unique way. 

The only reason it received less than five stars was because I found the descriptions of women's bodies almost hurtful to the story Audrain was telling especially one meant to be a reckoning with the role of mothers. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Abortion

cuddlygryphon's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Self harm, and Grief

Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Dementia, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting

Minor: Alcoholism, Infidelity, Sexual content, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Abortion, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

erenreads's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This book made me genuinely so uncomfortable at times, and even though it was predictable i read it in a day and just could not put it down. And i loved the addressing her husband thing a lot.

HOWEVER. The author is VERY weird about sexuality at times (especially at the gallery and about breasts in general), it just keeps repeating the same stuff over and over, literally no one but Gemma is lovable or even tolerable in the whole book, and it’s just. overall extremely “meh”.

I definitely would recommend it to people but like, most of these reviews get the expectations HIGH. it wasnt worth the hype (even though i absolutely enjoyed it too)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Infidelity, Self harm, Suicide, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

abrasieve's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Self harm, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Physical abuse and Excrement

Minor: Cursing, Sexual content, Vomit, and Abortion

thelibraryofanolive's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

THIS BOOK HAD ME CRAZED OMG IT WAS SO GOOD CANT EVEN PUT INTO WORDS HOW INVESTED I WAS

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Abandonment

Moderate: Cursing, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Stalking, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Addiction, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Excrement, Dementia, Abortion, Death of parent, and Gaslighting

kelly_e's review against another edition

dark reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

Title: The Push
Author: Ashley Audrain
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 2.75
Pub Date: January 5, 2021

T H R E E • W O R D S

Visceral • Unsettling • Complex

📖 S Y N O P S I S

Blythe is sure she will be the nurturing and comforting mother she never had. But in the midst of the exhausting early months, and incapable of connecting with her newborn daughter, she is convinced something is wrong with Violet. When she shares her concerns with her husband, he dismisses her claims.

When Blythe gives birth to her son, Sam, the situation is very different, and it's everything she always imagined a mother/child relationship to be. When their lives change on a dime, it will force them to face the truth.

💭 T H O U G H T S

The hype had definitely subsided when I finally picked up The Push, unfortunately it stilled influenced my reading experience and it ended up not living up to all my expectations.

What I like:
- I appreciated the honest insight and portrayal of the expectations versus the realities of motherhood, yet as a childless woman I didn't connect to the plot line.
- The plot line of multi-generational trauma
- Written as a letter, I thought the format was clever. And it was obvious that Audrain is a strong writer.

What I didn't like:
- The plot delivers quite a few stereotypes but I don't know that it leaves us a whole lot further ahead in our understanding, but rather upholds stigmas that can be detrimental to mental health awareness.
- I believe I'd have liked it more if the ending was different. For me, the ending felt like it was used for shock value rather than a natural resolution.

At the end of the day, I wouldn't call this a thriller, rather it's a psychological drama that is sure to spark discussion. But because the plot has been so overdone, The Push is easily forgettable to me.

📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• readers looking for a compulsive read
• bookclubs

🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S

"A mother’s heart breaks a million ways in her lifetime." 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicide, Toxic relationship, and Grief

Moderate: Bullying, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Medical content, Abortion, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Abandonment

Minor: Cursing, Sexual content, Blood, Stalking, Car accident, and Death of parent

postpartum depression

eeeeva's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death and Abortion

Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Violence, Medical content, Grief, and Pregnancy

Minor: Excrement and Vomit

thatswhatshanread's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

4.75 because I needed just a little more from the ending. Otherwise—WHAT A TWISTY, CREEPY, SICKENING RIDE OF CREATION AND DEMISE.

I was hooked immediately and never let go. The writing was smart and breezy and blunt and chilling, the chapters were deliciously short, the characters were multifaceted and unhinged, the plot was searing, uncomfortable, explosive. Darkly fantastic.

“The Push” refers, specifically, to one tragic incident in the main character’s life, but to me it was also a direct metaphor for all of the different types of motherhood represented in the story. How much children shape our worlds, the very good parts and, in this novel’s case, the traumatic and the sinister. 

If you haven’t already, pick this up ASAP. You won’t be able to put it down until the very last page.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Car accident, Abortion, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Cursing, Forced institutionalization, Stalking, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Infertility, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Dementia, and Mass/school shootings

keijiwolf's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Stalking, Murder, Pregnancy, and Abandonment

Moderate: Death of parent and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Confinement, Excrement, Dementia, Car accident, and Abortion